Conducting focus groups with children and young people: strategies for success

Abstract

Focus groups have become a popular and widely used method in qualitative research across the diversity of healthcare. Their use however has been applied mainly to research with adult participants. Only in the last 10 years have we witnessed an expansion in their use with children and young people. This paper describes briefly the characteristics of focus groups before focusing exclusively on the methodological and practical concerns when conducting focus groups with children and young people. Focus groups require considerable preparation and skill to run. Strategies are detailed in this paper to achieve two important outcomes, successful data collection and a positive experience for participants.